annual report 2019 Journeyto a new strategy 2019 ANNUAL REPORT 2 MESSAGE FROM THE ISO SECRETARY-GENERAL 4 OUR PERFORMANCE 8 OUR HIGHLIGHTS 24 ISO WEEK IN CAPE TOWN 30 OUR MEMBERSHIP 36 OUR PARTNERSHIPS 42 OUR INITIATIVES 56 OUR OFFICERS 60 OUR FINANCES 64 MESSAGE FROM THE ISO PRESIDENT ISO Annual Report 2019 | 1 MESSAGE FROM THE ISO SECRETARY-GENERAL – SERGIO MUJICA A NEW STRATEGY DEFINING AN AMBITIOUS DESTINATION 2019 was a very important year for ISO, one in which our organization prepared itself for the next major step in its journey. At the same time, as we looked at ways to meet future challenges, we didn’t slacken the pace for a minute. The overall picture of 2019 is one of an organization that is delivering like never before, all the while managing an important transition toward our next strategy. This year’s report aims to give a clear idea of the direction in which we are heading, why we have chosen that route, and how we are going to get there. At the same time, I would like to take you through some of the year’s achievements of which I am most proud. In 2019, we continued to meet, and even surpass, expectations. For example, we published 1 638 documents, a greater number than in any other year. These included standards like ISO/IEC 27701 that will play a significant role in addressing threats to online privacy, standards to enable sustainable, integrated urbanization through Building Information Modelling, and ISO 56002, the new standard for innovation management. You can find out more about these and other standardizing successes in this report. We also achieved remarkable sales, responding to a rising global demand for standards. We are proud to see our finances in sound shape, reflecting our prudent approach and a growing appetite for standards. Still, only part of the story is about numbers. In addition to delivering significant projects, we strengthened our capacity building initiatives, achieving new levels thanks to the dynamism and energy of many people who believe, as I do, that “ strong members make a strong organization ”. Giving the right support where it is most needed is vital in realizing the full potential of our members. Enabling the fullest participation possible and taking into account a wide spectrum of views is the only way that we can continue to develop globally relevant standards. Ensuring that all voices are heard is also a key objective for ISO. In 2019, we took a closer look at ways to capitalize on our diversity, building a more inclusive organization. One of the concrete steps we took was to create a Gender Action Plan, which was approved by Council in September. As a gender champion, I am proud of what we have achieved so far. We have a long way to go and the ISO Central Secretariat. For now, I’d like to use this opportunity to say “ Thank You ! ” to and there is much to learn, but my sincere hope is that over the next two years our Action Plan all who have contributed to this process. We will continue to work to ensure that the Strategy will help everyone to contribute to, and benefit from, gender-responsiveISO standards. receives full support when presented for approval to our next General Assembly. We offer global solutions for making life simpler, easier and safer, meeting people’s needs everywhere. I’d also like to recognize the contribution of the outgoing ISO President, John Walter, who With people at the centre of our work, the links between the ambitions of the United Nations completed his term at the end of 2019. His dedication was a great asset to our organization. I am Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the work that we do are as important as ever. confident that the experience and support of the new ISO President, who began his two-year As we continue working on the ISO Strategy 2021-2030, we are making sure that we not only term in 2020, will help us to maintain our momentum and spread the benefits of standards remain agile but also build in ways of measuring our progress at every level of our organization. wider than ever. A respected figure who brings substantial industry knowledge to the role, it is In this way, we’ll be able to respond to the unexpected, keep ourselves on course, and hold my great pleasure to welcome Eddy Njoroge to the ISO family. ourselves accountable to our overarching objective of ISO standards used everywhere. While this report looks back at 2019, the events that it describes are far from over. This year, we While much remains to be done, we’ve advanced substantially in the development of our Strategy are set to continue that work, moving towards the final evolution of our first ten-year strategy. thanks to the hard work and dedication of our members and their stakeholders, the ISO Council, 2030 may seem like a far-off place, but I know that, together, we will arrive at our destination. 2 | ISO Annual Report 2019 ISO Annual Report 2019 | 3 2019 saw more standards published by ISO than in any previous year. It’s a testament to the energy of our organization, the dedication of our OUR members, and an indicator of increasing global demand for standards. We’re PERFORMANCE proud of this accomplishment, but there are other measures of success where we have made hard-won progress. Document processing time has been reduced, with the aim of working towards a timeline for taking standards from proposal to publication in line with the pace of modern business and systems. In 2019, we continued to look at ways of reducing the environmental impact of our activities. As part of our commitment, all ISO Central Secretariat activities are carbon neutral for the third year in a row. On top of this, we’ve reduced waste at our offices in Geneva by 35 % and moved away from single- use plastics in favour of compostable products. ISO Annual Report 2019 | 5 ISO STANDARDS AT A GLANCE TECHNICAL COMMITTEES IN 2019 A PORTFOLIO OF NEW COMMITTEES In 2019, we created a new technical committee (ISO/TC 324) dedicated to standardization in the area of the sharing economy. One of its first priorities will be to establish terminology and principles that can be applied to this rapidly growing area. 22 913 The work of the new technical committee will support achievement INTERNATIONAL STANDARDS AND of a number of the SDGs, designed to shift the world onto a path of STANDARDS-TYPE DOCUMENTS peace and prosperity, and complements the work of ISO/TC 323, Circular economy, which was created in 2018. The committee, THESE STANDARDS REPRESENT which is also expected to facilitate progress on the SDGs, held A TOTAL OUTPUT OF RECORD NUMBER its inaugural meeting in 2019 in France. ISO’s capacity building 1 096 398 PAGES IN ENGLISH PUBLISHED IN 2019 team used this occasion to run training sessions to optimize AND FRENCH (TERMINOLOGY future standards from ISO/TC 323, so that they also respond to IS ALSO OFTEN PROVIDED the specific needs of developing countries. This was just one of the IN OTHER LANGUAGES) ways that we maximized participation of developing countries in 2019, together with webinars and the creation of an online social network to identify and exchange best practices between members. We will continue to build on this progress in making all voices heard in 2020 and beyond. 1 THIS638 OUTPUT REPRESENTS A TOTAL OF 84 313 PAGES ISO STANDARDS BY TECHNICAL SECTOR 21.7 % 15.0 % 5.2 % 4.7 % INFORMATION MECHANICAL FOOD AND ORES AND METALS TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING AGRICULTURE GRAPHICS AND PHOTOGRAPHY 12.5 % 8.9 % 3.9 % 3.8 % 3.0 % TRANSPORT NON-METALLIC CHEMICALS SPECIAL HORIZONTAL MATERIALS TECHNOLOGIES SUBJECTS 6.8 % 5.5 % 3.4% 3.3 % 2.3 % HEALTH, MEDICINE BUILDING AND SUSTAINABILITY AND ENERGY INNOVATION, AND LABORATORY CONSTRUCTION ENVIRONMENT RISK, SERVICES EQUIPMENT AND OTHER 6 | ISO Annual Report 2019 ISO Annual Report 2019 | 7 While we used last year as an OUR opportunity to ask important strategic questions, we didn’t slow down for a HIGHLIGHTS second : carrying out activities and training with our members ; publishing highly anticipated standards with the potential to make serious impact ; and furthering the role of standards as a basis for legislation that protects the planet and its people. Here, we’ve put together just some of the highlights of 2019. SAFER WORK FOR ALL WITH ISO 45001 In 2019, as every year, thousands of lives were lost due to work-related accidents or diseases that should have been prevented. Thanks to ISO 45001, organizations have the means to do precisely that. While it was published in 2018 and mentioned in last year’s annual report, ISO 45001 features again in this year’s report since it was the most widely consulted standard on our website ISO.org. In fact, more than 30 000 people took the time to get better informed about what this standard is and how to implement it. That’s because ISO 45001, one of the most eagerly anticipated standards in the world, is set to drastically improve levels of workplace safety. It has been embraced by industry as a replacement for the previous benchmark, OHSAS 18001, which was itself the basis for parts of Directed at the top ISO 45001. But it’s much more than just a change of designation : it is a new and distinct standard, not a revision or update. One of the main changes is that ISO 45001 concentrates on the inter- management of an organization, action between an organization and its business environment while OHSAS 18001 was focused on managing occupational health and ISO 45001 aims to provide safety hazards and other internal issues.